Shape Modeling International (SMI) recently honored Dr. Wenping Wang with the 2023 Distinguished Researcher Award for his prominent career and contributions to the field of shape modeling and analysis. He was also recognized by the Solid Modeling Association (SMA) with the 2023 Bézier Award, the most prestigious award from SMA, representing a career of significant accomplishment and impact.
Wang, professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, has contributed fundamental research in computer vision, visualization, computer graphics, and geometric modeling and computing. He has published more than 200 journal papers on computer graphics and related topics in visual computing. He has received many honors and recognitions, including Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the John A. Gregory Memorial Award, the most prestigious honor in the field of geometric design and computing which is presented for the awardee’s lifetime impact in the field.
For many years, I have enjoyed collaborating with many distinguished colleagues and talented students to work on various topics in this field, such as mathematical representations of 3D shapes and the reconstruction of digital models of 3D objects from 2D input images.
SMI’s Distinguished Researcher Award was established in 2021 to recognize shape modeling researchers with distinguished careers in honor of Tosiyasu Kunii (1938–2020), an IEEE Life Fellow and recipient of the prestigious IEEE Booth Education Award. In honor of the late Pierre Bézier, who was one of the founders of the solid, geometric and physical modeling fields, SMA’s Bézier Award was established in 2007 to recognize individuals or teams who have made lasting and major contributions in those areas or their applications.
“Shape modeling is an exciting field that is fundamental to many applications, including digital entertainment, virtual reality, computer-aided design, computer vision, robotics, computational science, architecture and medical imaging,” Wang said. “For many years, I have enjoyed collaborating with many distinguished colleagues and talented students to work on various topics in this field, such as mathematical representations of 3D shapes and the reconstruction of digital models of 3D objects from 2D input images. The Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University provides a supportive environment that allows me to conduct high-quality, high-impact research, to which I am deeply grateful. I am honored by the awards and glad to bring these recognitions to Texas A&M University. “